New Raynham Walmart slated to open Saturday

RAYNHAM — A steady stream of potential shoppers came to the new Raynham Walmart on Wednesday, in hopes of perusing grand opening sales and to see what was in store, but were turned away at the door.

“It kind of stinks,” said April DeHay, of Taunton, who brought her young daughter along in an attempt to go shopping there on Wednesday afternoon. “I was just coming to check it out. I wanted to see if there were any opening sales.”

The store previously told the public that they were holding a grand opening on Wednesday morning, but the opening was pushed back until Saturday.

Legally, the new Walmart location on Route 138 was able to open up shop as of Wednesday morning when the store received a temporary occupancy permit, according to a town official. Raynham Town Inspector Paul Boucher said the town signed off on the temporary occupancy permit allowing the store to be open for 30 days before it receives a permanent occupancy permit.

Walmart representative Jim McManus announced early Wednesday night that the store will now be opening on Saturday.

Boucher said that he was told that the store is finishing work throughout the exterior at the site before the opening.

“They still have a lot of site work left to do,” Boucher said. “I know there are some issues with fences and pump houses and general grating and asphalt. They are getting ready to finish stocking shelves. They told me probably Saturday, because they have to do a lot of cleanup inside and get it presentable.”

In order to obtain the temporary occupancy permit, Walmart had to wire $300,000 to Raynham’s town government as a surety to guarantee that additional work will be done at the site related to the sewer pump station there, along with other issues, in accordance with a condition set by the Raynham Planning Board last Thursday. Raynham Sewer Superintendent Chris Gallagher said that the new Walmart store just got the pump station on the site working on Tuesday, and that the store was behind schedule with several other more minor issues.

Walmart called off its originally planned Wednesday grand opening in a public statement issued to the Gazette on Tuesday night. But word about the delayed opening didn’t get out in time for many of the customers who drove into the new store’s parking lot on Wednesday, approaching the building’s automatic doors, where Walmart employees told them the business would be opening soon. One worker there said that they hope to open “in a few days.”

Maria Fraga, of Taunton, drove by the new Walmart on her way from work and stopped to look inside, but was told the store was opening during the weekend.

“I just want to see what they have to offer,” Fraga said on her way back to her car. “Of course, I’m disappointed. I was hoping to go in. I wanted to check out the produce, the fruits and vegetables.”

Hourly workers at the new Walmart could be seen entering and exiting the building, after the temporary occupancy permit was issued. A cease and desist order issued by the Raynham building inspector was lifted, after the store unlawfully had workers in the building stocking shelves up until last Thursday. Walmart said it wasn’t trying to break any rules and complied immediately with the order.